On the road around 10:00, and took Hwy 25, then the 24, then finally the 27 the rest of the way. Took about an hour to get to the Hamptons from Wildwood S.P.
As you get closer, the proliferation of expensive and exotic cars becomes very evident. They are everywhere, Bentleys, Maseratis, Lambo's, Rolls... makes the Benzs and Bimmers look downright common. The SUV of choice is definitely the Range Rover. So many of them in one place, it became our punch buggy. Very nice towns, and extremely well maintained. These are old towns, and heritage preservation is very much the way it is done here. Good policies and there is not enough of that attitude in Canada. Most of the high end homes are along the shoreleine, well away from the main roads and prying eyes. As this is not our interest, we did not bother to sight see those.
On the way we stopped at Hither Hills S.P. We have heard a lot about this park, as it is one of the few around that have camping facilities. Lots of parks here, but most are for day use only. In Hither Hills, huge sand dunes separate the beach from the camping spots. The sites themselves are in an open area, with small trees and shrubs as borders. Many have a good sized concrete pads, for either a tent or the picnic table. There are comfort stations and a big bathhouse. Although very open, there is a very California beach vibe going on here. Everyone is there for the beach and the ocean. The beach is awesome, and goes on forever. No services here, just water taps. No problem for us, as this is perfect for our solar panels. Due to the campground's popularity it difficult to book, the sites get booked exactly 9 months in advance to the day. Any future trip we make to Long Island, we are going to give it a good shot to grab a reservation.
Stopped in Montauk and walked around the town. Nice little spot, but a little on the touristy side. There was a bit of an art in the park thing going on, and Dale found a woman who made blown glass charms for Pandora bracelets, so she bought a few to add to hers.
Drove out to the famous lighthouse on the point, then circled back towords town. The day was simply perfect, so we decided to forego a sidetrip into Sags Harbour, and headed back to Hither Hills to sit on the ocean beach.
The beach was awesome. It is huge, so there is no problem finding a nice spot to set up the chairs and towels. Nice rolling waves coming in, nothing crazy, just enough to create that classic breaker noise, and to make the water exciting to be in. Into the water right away... good temp, and once we were past the breakers, floated on the waves with our ever present noodles. Back on the beach, it was glorious. Sitting there was heaven... the sky was dappled with clouds, just enough to offer some respite from the rays. There was a lovely onshore breeze that smelled of the salty ocean and was wonderfully refreshing. And the sand... my favorite... subtle pink hue, enough texture that it feels like sand, not talc powder, and if you dig deep enough with your heels, it rewards you with a cool embrace. Simply a perfect beach day.
Walked quite a ways down the beach. The water cooling our feet and the waves exposing all sorts of facinating smooth stones. As usual, Dale has managed to fill the one pocket in my swim trunks, while I prefer to beachcomb for the infinitely more elusive beach glass. Glass that has been tumbled so smooth by the ocean, then deposited for any wanderer to find. I snagged one yesterday on the north side of the island, but no sightings so far today. The presense of several ritzy beach resorts were announced by the masses of identical umbrellas and chairs, the whims of the leathery brown sun worshippers attended to by several beach boys scooting about on 4x4's.
Around 4:00 we packed it in and headed for The Crab Bar, a recommended spot for seafood of all sorts. We found it down the road from Hither Hills in between Amagansett and Montauk, and this will be the spot for dinner. The Crab Bar is simply a fish shack along the highway, with a large outdoor seating area hosting an abundance of round white patio tables and colourful umbrellas.
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| if they make two, why not try both? |
The place was hopping. I ordered fish & chips and Dale satisfied her craving for New England clam chowder. A couple of cold, local craft beers quenched the thirst. The food was simple and tasty. The fish chowder was good, but the fish & chips did not come close to our new standard, found at a place called Richard's, a similar operation in Cavendish PEI. Funny thing, as I came back from the washroom, when I walked by two young guys at another table, one of them looked right at me and said "Michigan?"... obviously keying in on my M22 t-shirt. I went along and said "Yup"... "Go Blue" was his reply. How cool.
We had heard that traffic could be heavy, and it was. Through the towns it was a crawl, but opened up a bit in between. I guess being a Sunday, everyone was heading back out of the Hamptons, and back to the real world.
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